In hotels all over the world, minibars are provided in many thousants of rooms. These are stocked with a variety of items, generally mini-bottles of strong alcoholic drinks, with some cans of beer or soft drinks, some bottles of wine, and the like.
The control and charging of items used by hotel guests is cumbersome and requires substantial manpower. Furthermore, when a rapid checkout of the guest is effected, there is generally no up-to-date data available as to the exact quantity of goods removed from the minibar.
Various solutions have been proposed, amongst these the provision of individual small compartments in the refrigerator, each housing only one bottle or can, means being provided for the detection and recordal of each such removal, this being effected by electronic means. There has also been suggested the use of micro-switches and proximity switches for each stored item.
There have been suggested the use of magnetic markers on each bottle or can, and the provision of corresponding magnets in the mini-bar, thus detecting removal of each item. None of the solutions suggested hitherto have found acceptance as they are complicated and not reliable. Furthermore, the subdividision of the space in the refrigerator into sub-units hinders air-circulation and cooling.
The present invention provides a system adapted to overcome the drawbacks of existing systems.